


Eric x Mari

by Monaskai



Category: Me and paige
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:47:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24396007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monaskai/pseuds/Monaskai





	Eric x Mari

It still was odd that he’d wake up with someone else. He didn’t mind it, not at all. Yet here she was, twisted in what looked like a horribly uncomfortable position. Mari’s face was hidden in his pillow that she definitely stole in the middle of the night, somewhere between laying on her side and her stomach. She looked like a mess, her hair all beheaded and tangled, shirt hiked up her back where she’d rolled in the middle of the night. He knew he didn’t look much better. Eric nudged her shoulder, laughing when she turned away, huffing.

“Good morning, Mari,” he sang, grabbing her around the waist. “Time to wake up.”

Mari didn’t protest when she was pulled against his chest, though she did drag the blanket over her head with a small “no”. 

“C’mon, I’ll make you pancakes.”

Mari’s head popped up at that, hazel eyes sparkling yet sleepy. Eric sat up, watching her untangle from the blankets with a small smile. Once she caught him looking, she tossed a blanket over her head.

“Stooooop-”

“I can’t if you’re so cute.”

She screamed under the blanket as he picked up her blanket bundle like she was made of air, carrying her towards the living room. Mari poked her head out a little bit as he set her down, about to go start gathering ingredients when she grabbed his middle and pulled him into a hug. It was pretty clear she was still sleepy, even if he was wide awake ready to go. Eric kissed her forehead before holding her close, heart warming when she leaned into him.

“I don’t wanna go home,” she mumbled into his shirt. “You’re not there.”

“I am one portal away at all times.”

“Feh.”

He laughed. “Pancakes and then home.”

“Yeh.”

Eric walked towards the kitchen as she trudged back to their bedroom. A zipper told him she was beginning to pack her bag as he mixed batter, watching in mild amusement as said duffle bag was hurled into the living room with socks sticking out of it. Mari returned a moment later in leggings and one of his shirts, flopping into a kitchen chair with no grace behind the action. Once food was placed in front of her, she came more to life.

“Good?” he asked.

“Ish delish,” she mumbled, stuffing her face. “A+.”

He ruffled her hair and brought over his own plate. They usually ate in silence until the food was gone, too good to waste words over it. Mari finished first as usual, having the habit of sucking it down like a vacuum. She had to, he guessed. All things considered.

Mari took his plate for him, dutifully washing dishes. He opened his mouth once and then closed it, hesitating.

They’d been dating for a while. They did all the things normal couples that didn’t live a dimension apart did; they lived together half the time, they did little getaways, dates, whatever. He loved being with her and he’d do anything for her. He knew he was in love with her, but every time they talked about… the future, she chickened out. Mari’d clam up and look away, and he’d drop the conversation. Any conversations about l-o-v-e were short winded. 

Ever since the first ring showed up on her chest, it’d gotten worse. She had every right to be scared. Eric wasn’t going to take that away from her. It’d be cruel to do so. They’d both seen that thing in actions, both seen firsthand what they did to her mother.

“Hey, Mari?”

She was drying dishes, looking over her shoulder curiously. His heart fluttered.

“If I told you I loved you, would you love me?”

He’d never seen her pale so fast. She nearly dropped the plate she was holding, catching it in the knick of time. 

Eric bit the inside of his lip. “Like… we said it as kids all the time when we were just friends. But it’s more now. I mean, what would you… do if I told you I loved you like that?”

Mari set the plate down before she could break it, holding onto the counter for dear life. “Why are you bringing it up now?”

“Because I love you.”

He literally watched the world drop out from under her feet. Eric stood up to steady her when she shook her head, doing it on her own. Always on her own. That was a frequently recurring theme, he noticed.

“Mari-” he stopped when he saw tears. “Mar- I didn’t mean… You’re not supposed to cry-”

“I-” Mari sucked in a deep breath, steadying her voice. “Why?”

Eric stiffened. “Because you’re brave and hardworking and dedicated and amazing-”

“No,” she cut him off, hand unconsciously sliding up to her chest. “Why now?”

“... Because it’s how I feel, and I love you,” he frowned, dread starting to flood his veins. “And I don’t want to keep hiding that from you like it’s something to be ashamed of. I mean, come on, Mari, I know you love me too-”

“That’s not-” she looked away, hand tightening over her shirt. “H-how is that fair to you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re like… indestructible,” Mari was starting to shake. “And I’m not.”

“... Yeah, my mom is a weird… space god thing. Kinda… happens if space god is your mom and also not human.”

“Eric, you know I’m going to die, right?”

“We’re all going to die-”

“Young,” Mari snapped, squeezing her eyes shut. “Probably in a horrible, bloody, twisted way.”

Eric flinched. “Don’t talk like that-”

“You’ve seen what it does,” Mari’s voice was very small. “It doesn’t care about you. It uses you and spits you out to get you to do what it wants-”

a brief memory of fire and smoke, purple energy gathering around Mona, the cracks within her body fading as she held the two children, her voice eerily calm, specifically trying to distract Mari when Mari’s eyes widened and flooded with tears and Eric saw what was upsetting her, Enoch’s mask splintered and broken around his neck holding Remy, her chest rising in rapid unsteady beats with an arm twisted backwards in its socket when her chest shuddered and it snapped around, the woman laughing high pitched through pain as her chest jumped, her body moving like a puppet, disjointed and broken as it dragged her back into the fray

“I don’t care, Mari-”

“I DO!” she suddenly shouted, taking a deep breath before shaking her head.  
She shoved past him, Eric dumbfounded for a long second before he realized she was leaving. Mari grabbed her bag and rifled through it, pulling out a jacket. His shirt went over her head as she shrugged into it. He saw it, just briefly. One circle, further cemented into her skin, no longer glassy black but taking on the texture of her skin. She zipped it up quickly, obscuring it again, folding his shirt before handing it back to him.

Cotton was thrusted into his hands as she threw her bag over her shoulders. It didn’t register at first, not until she started walking towards the door.

She opened it and he slammed it shut, purple energy hovering around the doorknob. Mari jumped back, turning around, still with tears in her eyes.

“You’re leaving?” his voice cracked. “Just… just like that?”

“I have to go home regardless,” her voice sounded dead. “... I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Mari, you leaving-”

“Is probably for the best.”

“I’m already in love with you!” He took a step towards her. “You’ve been in my life for fucking years, Mari, that doesn’t just… That doesn’t just go away! Even if we were just friends, even if it happens, I-”

“I’ll text you when I get home.”

Eric let her leave.

Why did he fucking let her leave?

She was doing the right thing. She had to be doing the right thing. If she wasn’t, she couldn’t think about it. This was right. Mari’s chest throbbed, and not from the Heart itself. Her actual heart twisted, contorting deep within her chest. Her tears wouldn’t stop falling, no matter how many times she wiped them away. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She sniffed and tugged it out, grimacing.

chisaki  
Can we please just talk about this?

Mari shoved it back in. She didn’t know how to feel. Angry, sad, frustrated, confused, lost. She was protecting him. If he wasn’t around now, he couldn’t be around when it happened. He wouldn’t have to watch her take the Heart, he wouldn’t watch what it did to her, he wouldn’t be around for the day she… 

Mari was shaking as she opened the door to her house. It was dark. They… weren’t here. She checked her phone again, wiping away droplets of water that fell onto the screen. Two messages from her dad, saying they would be back tomorrow. Urgent business. Mari looked around. It felt so big without them in it. She wanted her mom. She wanted her to walk her through everything again. Explain it one more time.

Mari went to her room, throwing herself down on her bed. She opened Eric’s message.

This is for the best. I can protect you this way.

She didn’t send the second sentence.

Mari curled up in a ball and shoved everything down. Bottle it up. You’re supposed to protect the world, right, Hargrave? Then you can face any pain.

You’ll have to, because the Heart will make you.

“Wh-what do you mean-” Mona looked baffled. “That- you… Mari?”

Eric shrugged. He was staring at the floor, laying on his parents’ couch. They were sitting across from him with two very different reactions. Mona’s jaw was hanging open, which Kai slowly shut for her. Kai’s face didn’t betray his shock, but Eric could tell he was by the way his shoulders set. Mona was a different story. She wasn’t hiding any of her surprise, and she probably couldn’t anyway to begin with.

“She just left and now she won’t talk to me,” his voice was hoarse. “I don’t know, Mom.”

“Is she in danger?” Kai interjected before Mona could start.

He shrugged again. How could he know if she wasn’t talking to her? Maybe in danger of her own stubborn protective streak, but not in physical danger. It had been a week. A week without contact. It was the longest he’d ever gone without talking to her in some form. It had been a week of him not eating and not sleeping, trying to get her to just fucking talk to him.

“Why?” Mona finally asked.

Tears pricked in his eyes. “... I told her I loved her and now she’s gone.”

Kai and Mona exchanged a glance. Without speaking, they hugged their son. Eric broke. 

“Mari, stop-”

She yelped as a cold, smooth tendril of shadow snapped around her wrist, sending her tumbling to the ground. Mari coughed, spitting into the dirt as her body throbbed, aching with unattended bruises and scrapes, sore muscles screaming. The tendril released as she turned around, sitting up with a hiss. Enoch was kneeling by her, eyebrows knitted in concern. She flinched. He was annoyed. Maybe angry.

“Were you just not going to tell us what happened?”

Mari flinched. “There’s nothing to tell-”

“He’s your best friend and you just wrote him out of your life like that?” Enoch raised an eyebrow, the scars across his cheek twisting. “Listen, you do some dumb things, but this takes the cake. What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Mari-”

“NOTHING,” she slammed her fist into the ground, seizing when it cracked under the impact. Mari swallowed the wince. Her wrist was aching. It hurt like hell. Probably broken.

“... We just want to make sure you’re okay,” Enoch sighed. “We’re here for you.”

Mari swallowed the tears and turned away as her wrist snapped back in place.

He was locking himself away.

Eric gave up trying to reach her. Mari was making it clear she wanted nothing to do with him, and that was the ultimate salt in the wound. At one point, he’d overheard his parents talking quietly on the phone when they thought he was asleep. Something about trying to figure out what was up with Mari. He wanted them to stop. Eric knew they cared about her, because how could they not? How could anyone not adore that little ball of passion?

He glanced over at what he was working on. It didn’t make any sense. Months had passed at this point. He was tired of people worrying over him. Grandparents panicking because he was losing weight and avoiding food, parents trying to solve all his problems. At this point, he just had to get over her. Pretend she hadn’t happened. Right?

Tears pricked in his eyes. No. It was never going to be that fucking easy. Even if he wasn’t in fucking love with her, how was he going to erase everything else? For fuck’s sake, she was his best friend. It had always been her. It was always her and that was the problem. Camping with her, watching her play the guitar he made for her, the instrument Mona painted little flowers on, listening to her sing. Watching her lose her spitfire mouth and ease into the laidback, almost sleepy soul that was happy just to take naps with him instead of shoving two weeks worth of stories into hanging out. Her stupid crooked smile that mirrored her dad’s, her stupid finger guns. That warm feeling that buzzed even now when he heard her name…

It wasn’t going to go away.

He was hunched over his workbench, sobbing. Eric’s knees buckled as he sunk down.

He just wanted to hold her.

Why did he let her leave?

Mari was lying flat on her back in the dirt, chest barely rising. There wasn’t anywhere on her that didn’t hurt like hell. Debris from shattered rocks, trees, metal, everything surrounded her. Her knuckles were busted and bleeding into the dust, bruises around her ribs making it hard to breathe. She was waiting for it to snap it leg back into place. Mari went too hard too fast, falling flat on her face when her ankle snapped trying to hold the force behind the damn heart. 

She was crying when they found her, and she was crying when she finally told them the truth.

“I don’t want to hurt him,” Mari sobbed, face buried in Remy’s shoulder as her father’s hands rubbed knots out from her shoulders. “I don’t want to hurt anyone, so if I just go away, he can’t be sad. He doesn’t know, he doesn’t understand and I want him to be happy and if that means I have to go away to-”

“Mari, stop,” Remy said firmly. “This is what happens when you bottle everything up.”

“I’VE SEEN WHAT IT DOES TO YOU!” Mari shoved away. “I don’t want him to see that, I don’t want ANYONE to see that-”

“You keep trying to do this alone, and look at what it’s doing to you,” Enoch turned her, holding her face. “You cannot keep shoving everyone away because that will hurt everyone around you worse than you realize. How do you honestly think he’s going to feel if you do die? With no closure? No answers, no nothing?”

“Yes, the Heart of Humanity is a fucking nightmare,” Remy squeezed her hand. “It’s a curse. Ask me, ask Ronne, ask anyone who’s had it before us. But it’s not a curse you bear alone, and if you try to, it will eat you alive.”

Remy hugged her from behind as she fell into Enoch’s shoulder, trembling. “Do you understand me, Marianna?”

“Mari…” Enoch sighed. “... I’m just telling you firsthand, what he’s going through sucks. … Your mom did the same thing to me. Didn’t ya, Rem?”

“... Yes,” Remy mumbled. “Multiple times.”

“He hates me,” Mari murmured.

“No, he doesn’t,” they said in unison. 

“Oh, Marianna,” Lucasta chuckled, rifling through medicines. “You’re just like your parents.”

Mari looked away as Lucasta returned, dabbing antiseptic on her wounds. The Seraphim’s dark green eyes flitted from wound to wound, her voice gentle when Mari hissed as little scrapes closed up. She hummed as she appraised one of her collarbones that set crooked before bopping her on the nose when a popsicle stick.

“So, no magic Seraph healing today?” Lucasta stretched. “Just gonna walk around like one big bruise?”

“I’m okay,” Mari said quietly. “... Thank you, Luca.”

“Anything for my favorite human,” Luca blew her a little kiss. She stood up off her stool, stretching as she removed her stethoscope and tossed it aside. Mari sat up slowly, grunting the entire way. Luca watched before shrugging out of her white coat, removing the gloves that concealed the harsh Delta burned into her skin.

“Did it hurt?” Mari asked quietly.

Lucasta looked down at it. “Yeah. I was a kid, though. They didn’t hold it in for too long. Aris and Charlotte’s were probably more painful.”

“You can’t get rid of it?”

“Nope.”

“... Luca, what should I do?”

“Talk to him,” she replied without missing a beat. “At least get some closure.”

“... Okay.”

When she started crying, Lucasta held her and willed away more injuries under golden light.

Eric glanced at the door when the knocking started. It was probably his parents. Or grandparents. Someone sent to check on him and make sure he was alive. He tried to ignore it at first, focus glued to his project when it only became more insistent. Eric rolled his eyes and threw down the screwdriver, pulling off thick insulation gloves with his teeth. Whoever wanted it was highly persistent, knocking growing louder and quicker by the second.

He sighed and placed a hand on the doorknob, pushing it aside. “Fucking hell, what-”

He froze. Mari was standing there.

Mari, hair down around her shoulders, staring at her feet. His heart wrenched. She looked like she was being abused. Faded bruises painted her blue and blue, faint scars ripping through her skin like vipers. He couldn’t begin to count the amount of scrapes across her, a bandage plastered to her cheek and more around her hands. More than anything, she looked… scared.

The anger bubbled up almost immediately. He knew he looked just as bad. Hell, he barely slept and food had no taste, so what was the point of eating? Pale, tired, unkempt. He let himself go, shadows hanging under his eyes like a raccoon’s mask. She looked frightened just looking at him when she eventually raised her eyes.

“So, is this better, Mari?”

Her eyes welled up almost instantly. Eric almost spoke again, not sure if he was going to comfort her or yell at her when she cut him off.

“I-i’m sorry.”

Eric was holding her before he knew his body was moving. Mari’s hands bunched in his shirt, her cries coming as weak hiccups. He felt his own tears falling, sliding down his face into her hair while hers soaked his shirt. Where he held her, he could feel packings of bandages, little bumps and raised cuts. Why did he let her leave? Why did he fucking let her leave when she needed him more then ever? 

“I should have never let you go,” he whispered. “I don’t know why I let you go, I should’ve-”

“Shut up,” Mari shook her head. “Just shut up.”

“Mari-”

“I have a death sentence hanging around my neck,” she cried, locking herself against him. “I didn’t want to put you on that timer too. It’s not fair to make you suffer because you deserve so much better than that-”

“I don’t care,” Eric interrupted, voice thick. “I’ll stay with you until the end. Please just let me in. I don’t want you to be alone, I want you. I just want you.”

“I love you,” Mari pulled away, grabbing his face. “I love you, I love you, I love you-”

Eric pulled her up and kissed her. His heart nearly exploded in his chest as she wrapped arms around his neck, tears not even beginning to stop. They only broke apart for air, her burying her face in his shoulder.

“I’m never leaving again,” she was still shaking. “I’m sorry, I-i never… I love you. I just love you.”

“I love you, too,” Eric kissed the side of her head. “I’ll never let you leave. You’re stuck, okay? You’re safe. I’ll figure out a way to keep you safe. You’ll never have to be scared of it again. I promise. I promise, Mari.”

They clung to each other and cried.


End file.
